Page 110 of The Summer We Lie

That I love her?

The thought hangs there, unavoidable now that I've admitted it to myself. I love her. And I've never been more terrified of anything in my life.

I didn't sleep much last night. By the time my alarm goes off, I've been staring at the ceiling for at least an hour, rehearsing what to say to Harper. Nothing sounds right. There's no perfect way to tell your daughter you've fallen in love with her best friend.

I shower and dress carefully—dark jeans, a simple blue button-down. Nothing that looks like I'm trying too hard, but still showing respect for the conversation we're about to have. The bakery opens at seven, and I'm their first customer, picking up an assortment of Harper's favorites.

I knock on Logan's door just before eight. I don't wait long before he's opening up for me.

"She's drinking coffee in the dining room," he says, his expression cautious.

I'm still not sure why she came here of all places. I know she has friends her own age, so why is she staying with my best friend? I push the thought away because now is not the time to question her choices.

When I walk into the room, she looks up and glares at me. Her eyes are rimmed with red, and she's clearly been crying.

"I come with gifts," I say, holding up a box of pastries from her favorite bakery.

She doesn't soften, but I set them down in front of her anyway and take a seat beside her. Logan makes himself scarce, giving us privacy.

"Harper, I'm sorry I lied to you and snuck around behind your back," I begin, my heart hammering in my chest. "I'm sorry it was with your best friend, but I love her, Harp. I didn't mean to and I definitely did not want to fall in love with your friend, but I did."

"You love her?" she asks, skepticism clear in her voice.

I nod, not trusting my voice for a moment. "I do."

"Does she love you?" she asks, and the question cuts to the heart of my fear.

"I don't know," I say, because I don't. "But I hope she does."

She stares at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. "So what now? My best friend will be my new step mom?"

"No," I say quickly. "She will still just be your friend, and I will never forgive myself if I get in the way of that. She loves you. You're her favorite person in the world. So please, even if you can't forgive me, forgive her. She needs you."

"I don't know," she says, looking away.

"Let me ask you this," I say, leaning forward. "Do you know about her auction?"

She looks at me funny. "Yeah. What do you know about it?"

"Logan and Ethan bid on her with my profile, and I won." Her eyes widen with shock, and she looks like she's about to interrupt with a thousand questions. "Let me finish. I flew out there to meet her. I wanted to let her know in person that I was not going through with it, and I did. I was really attracted to her, but she's so young, and I didn't want to pay for her... you know. So that was it, all done."

Harper looks like things are coming together for her, pieces falling into place.

"But then I picked you two up from the airport, and imagine my surprise meeting her. We acted like we never met. I really didn't want to explain to you how we met, and then we talked and said we were going to put it behind us and just start fresh. But things happened, and we got closer. I tried to stay at work more, stay away from her, but it didn't work."

I take a deep breath. "She makes me happy. She takes care of me, makes me laugh. I want to go to her, but I need you to be okay with it."

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. "I don't know if I can forgive either of you, but I don't want to be the one standing in your way."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

She opens the box and takes out a croissant, taking a bite. "So what now?" she asks, her voice softer.

"I'm going to Pennsylvania to get her," I say with conviction.

"She's not going to come back here," she says, and I know she's right.

"Then I'll stay there," I say, and her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline.